European Support for the Iraqi Insurgency's Terrorism

I received this in my e-mail from the Free Iraqis Yahoo Group. The Left/Socialist movement in Europe is dangerously short-sighted. I know the same can be said for the current US administration but as I've said many times, two wrongs don't make a right. I've also said many times that there are plenty of fine ideas from the Left but unfortunately they are mired in the stuff of Marx and Rousseau, which is fine if you are an American college professor but not so much in any other facet of life. This article concerning European leftists is a bit disturbing in my opinion:

Swedish-Based Iraqi Patriotic Alliance Promotes

European Support for the Iraqi Insurgency

In addition to their activities in Iraq, the Ba'athist network is
alive and well in Europe. As an example, the Swedish-based Iraqi
Patriotic Alliance (IPA) has been conducting an aggressive campaign
throughout Europe to bolster support for Iraqi insurgents while
advocating the return of Saddam Hussein, whose leadership, according
to the IPA's spokesperson Awni al Kalemji, "...we agree on. Since
2003, the IPA has sought support from Europeans who virulently
opposed the war, with a special focus on those advocates of the
extreme left that already harbor extreme distrust of the U.S.

The IPA was established in Sweden in June 1992 by Jabbar Al-Kubaisi,
an Iraqi dissident whose two brothers had been executed by Saddam
Hussein. The IPA originally consisted of a small number of Iraqi
dissidents and groups scattered throughout Europe. Today, in
addition to its alliances with numerous European anti-imperialistic
groups, the IPA purports to represent several Iraqi organizations
covering both the left and the right wing of the political spectrum.
Specifically, its membership includes the Arabic Workers Party, the
Kurdistan's Islamic Army, the Kurdistan's Peace Party, the Party for
Justice and Reform, the Iraqi Bedouin Council, the Arabic Socialist
Movement, the Iraqi National Democratic Communist Movement, and
independent political activists and intellectuals.

According to the IPA's English language website, the group is
characterized by its opposition to the occupation of Iraq and
supportive of any means necessary to reverse the occupation.
Specifically, the group states, "We are against the Zionist
occupation of Iraq. We believe that the resistance of our people in
Iraq is legal according to international law and the UN Charter,
including the right to resort to armed means. We are claiming our
right to self-determination and sovereignty." In addition to its
support of the Iraqi resistance, several European websites associated
with the IPA, including the German Free Iraq Committee (freeiraq.de)
and the Danish Frit Irak (fritirak.dk), currently campaign for the
release of former prominent members of the Iraqi regime.

The group's original platform opposed the regime of Saddam Hussein,
but in 1993, Kalemji contacted Saddam Hussein, a former classmate,
and proposed the democratization of Iraq. Kalemji received a reply
to his proposition three years later at a meeting with a
representative of Saddam Hussein in Prague. Kalemji's contact with
the Iraqi leadership continued and through the years, he had several
meetings with Ba'ath Party representatives in various European
cities. In 2002, Kubaisi and Kalemji traveled to Baghdad to meet
with high ranking Iraqi officials. As described in a National Review
article, "The move was part of Saddam Hussein's strategy to bury the
hatchet with opposition groups and put together the widest coalition
possible in case of an attack from the United States. According to
IPA members, Saddam promised democratic reforms and Kubaisi,
purportedly out of his love for Iraq, decided to side with the former
Iraqi dictator against the American invasion. In February 2003,
Kubaisi again met with senior Iraqi officials, including Tariq Aziz,
to reaffirm his support. During a conference held in Paris shortly
after Kubaisi's meeting with Saddam Hussein, the IPA and its
delegates pledged to combat "American imperialist aggression."

Kubaisi returned to Baghdad after the war started in 2003, leaving
his lieutenant Kalemji, a Danish resident since 1988, behind in
Europe to build support for the Iraqi resistance. Since then, the
IPA has built an extensive network in Europe through an aggressive
campaign aimed at recruiting Europeans opposed to the U.S. presence
in Iraq. As a result of Kalemji's adeptness at building alliances,
the campaign has been very well organized and successful in
bolstering support for the Iraqi resistance. The National Review
states, "…throughout Europe, hardcore fascists and communists have
formed an unusual coalition whose purpose is to morally and
financially support terrorist organizations, and, in particular, the
Iraqi Patriotic Alliance; a coalition of Iraqi groups carrying out
attacks against American and allied targets (sic). Kalemji's aim of
recruiting diverse organizations was highlighted in an interview when
he stated, "we co-operate with all that share our goal, hand in hand
[for a] holy war against the Zionist imperialistic coalition.
Because of Kalemji's contacts with the former Ba'ath regime and
subsequent support of Iraqi insurgents, he was arrested in Denmark in
2003 on suspicion of recruiting armed volunteers for the insurgency.
The charges were subsequently dropped.

Through Kalemji and others in the organization, the IPA has raised
money for Iraqi insurgents, organized anti-occupation demonstrations,
passed out anti-American handbills, and established websites
throughout Europe promoting the agenda of the Iraqi insurgency. As
early as December of 2003, Kalemji was a keynote speaker at an Iraqi
resistance demonstration held Rome, and continues to be an active
participant at similar events such as the Berlin conference supported
by the Austrian-based group Anti-Imperialista and the German
JungeWelt that occurred on 12 March 2005. The main objective of
Kalemji's speech was to drive a wedge between Europe and the U.S. by
suggesting the U.S. aim in Iraq as trans-regional and part of a
grander plan to control world access to oil. The insurgents are
therefore not only "liberating" Iraq, but also saving Europe and the
entire world from the imperialist U.S. The speech is available on
various websites including wiederstandsreport.sedunia.org and
beirut.indymedia.org. Previous interviews with Kalemji, such as the
one conducted by the U.S. Anti-Imperialist Solidarity Committee, are
also available on their website. In addition, Kalemji has appeared
on the Arabic satellite television station Al-Jazeera and was
interviewed by several leftist media organizations including the
Italian Al-Jazira and the German Widerstandsreport. Kalemji is also
a prolific writer and his articles have been posted on numerous
internet forums and websites.

As with Kalemji, Kubaisi has been vocal in his support for the
insurgency and just as militant. In an interview posted on the IPA
website, Kubaisi states:

Nobody can believe that the U.S. can be convinced without armed self-
defense. What does legal means mean in a situation of illegal
occupation? Our armed resistance is entirely legal according to
international law and the UN charter, and also to Islamic law and our
national values. We will never accept orders to disarm ourselves and
to limit us to toothless peaceful action…. All occupation forces and
their aides are legitimate targets of the resistance. In order to
save themselves, they have to leave our country, otherwise they will
be subject to armed attacks.... I ask the anti-war movement to take
sides. Neutrality is not possible. We will continue fighting until
our homeland is liberated. This is our right and our duty. Those
who really are for peace and justice have to accept our right to self-
determination and must support the resistance.

The success of the IPA is seen in its ability to raise funds for the
insurgency. According to an Italian article, "much of the fund
raising for al Qaeda and Iraqi insurgents has been done by two
groups – the Iraqi Patriotic Alliance…and the Anti-Imperialist
Alliance, made up of mainly European leftists. The merging of several
European leftist groups with the IPA places it among the most
organized European, and perhaps worldwide, opposition movements to
the U.S. presence in Iraq. As Kalemji stated in a Danish
interview: "A form of solidarity is mass protests…so involved
governments don't send soldiers to Iraq." Popular support for the
conflict in Iraq has been consistently waning throughout Europe, and
groups like the IPA seize every opportunity to further agitate
displeasure with American and Allied presence in Iraq. Since several
U.S. Allies in Iraq are European, the continuation of well-
coordinated opposition by the IPA and its supporters could further
erode popular support for the Coalition's Iraq policy and operations.